Good but disoriented - 75%

I stumbled upon this album by mere coincident and when I noticed that Dave Haley (Psycroptic) played the drum tracks on it, I felt like listening.

Everything is good but two stupid and totally unnecessary breakdowns. Damn, I detest those breakdowns. They don’t belong in death metal and since the band claims to be a band of the genre, they shouldn’t mix with the foul side of “metal”. It’s unforgivable and of course, hard to understand why anyone would include such piece of shit in their music. Very well…

The album contains both death and thrash riffs, and some are really good. The vocals are actually very good, though a bit monotonous but they flow dynamically with the music. That can also be said about the drumming on the album. Dave Haley being one crazy aussie behind the kit who is bashing his drums relentlessly but is never afraid to slow down. The drumming on this album is reminiscent of that he performs in Psycroptic.

Songwriting is also good in the variable aspects, in that sense that the songs never get stuck on one place, repeating itself. But it has some flaws though and it’s nothing bad really, not essentially. Besides the death and thrash riffs, they also use symphonic passages often containing guitar solos. Don’t get me wrong, these passages are all good but they feel totally misplaced. The contrast becomes too radiant when I’m beginning to think, whether I’m listening to a death metal-band or Iron Maiden. Thus, I find it disoriented. It’s like the band members aren’t sure what they want to sound like. This also triggers a feeling of a bit hasty production and premature release. And considering that the band have existed since 1999, although have changed several band members, it’s questionable why the sound isn’t more mature and spot on. Yet again, nothing is bad but it’s just that; all things do not mix together. Death metal and happy guitar solos is one of those things.

Anyhow, the album will appeal to those who appreciate good riffs and versatile death metal, with a somewhat thrashy touch to it. This, despite its minor flaws.